Overview

SIAX Computing Solutions has provided IT solutions and support to a wide range of small and medium businesses in Melbourne, Australia for nearly 30 years. These businesses face the same IT security challenges as larger companies, but often lack the staff to monitor their IT environments and proactively protect their data. Eight years ago, SIAX became a MSP Partner with Trend Micro as a way to improve security services to its clients.

SIAX experienced a period of rapid growth and market changes four years ago, and decided to join the Trend Micro managed service provider (MSP) program as a way to offer even better service to clients. “We prefer to work in partnership with our clients, not just be a provider to them,” said Adam Smith, SIAX General manager and sales executive. “We look for ways to help their businesses grow through their IT rather than just putting a computer in and waiting for them to call us when they have a problem.”

Twelve SIAX employees, including a technical support staff of eight engineers, provide managed service agreements and software licensing services to 90 clients and ad hoc services to another 250 clients. Some SIAX clients have only a handful of machines, while others have as many as 60. SIAX works for diverse industries, ranging from government, retail, and manufacturing to real estate, healthcare, and accounting.

Challenges

The cloud has had a major effect on SIAX clients, many of whom work outside of traditional networks using mobile devices, laptops, and tablets. “A lot of our clients find it hard to understand why these devices pose a threat to their networks,” said Smith. “They don’t understand the threats they are facing when they access their networks from a coffee shop. We need to control mobile devices and secure them for our clients when they are communicating back to their networks.”

SIAX has noticed a major shift to the cloud in recent years. Currently, 80% of SIAX clients use Windows Small Business Servers (SBS), and some smaller clients use cloud services. “Now that SBS is unavailable, we expect to have more clients move to the cloud in the next 2-4 years and transition to Office 365,” said Smith. This shift is driving new concerns about securing internal data, locking down USB keys, and managing mobile devices.

In addition to securing their customer’s mobile devices and helping customers transition to the cloud, licensing restrictions also presented challenges to SIAX. For example, they had to pay for licensing 12 months in advance and could not easily change packages for a client in the middle of a contract period.

“We love Trend Micro. It’s great to tell clients that we help Trend Micro test products. We enjoy the process and giving feedback as a beta tester.”

Solution

SIAX keeps client data secure with Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security. This product line allows SIAX to meet a changing set of client needs. SIAX provides the Worry-Free Business Security Advanced edition to clients with an on-premises Exchange server. They provide the Worry-Free Business Security Services edition for clients without an Exchange server or with a hosted exchange solution. “It’s great to have both packages available to use,” said Smith, who expects to see more clients transitioning to the cloud in the near future.

“Trend Micro™’s Hosted Email Security (HES) makes spamming issues a thing of the past for the majority of our clients. Spam used to be a constant source of frustration for them and for us,” said Smith. Many SIAX clients are now setting up the outbound mail scanning features of HES to stop inadvertent spamming of their clients, which can place them on black lists. Content filtering is another Worry -Free feature that is attractive to clients. “The process is pain free to our clients. We can make adjustments as we go,” said Smith.

The MSP program gives SIAX access to specialised tools that enhance service quality, save time for their technicians, and increase profitability. SIAX uses Trend Micro’s License Management Platform to provision and manage client licenses. Trend Micro™ Remote Manager allows SIAX to view and manage multiple customers running multiple Trend Micro products from a single web console. The tool alerts SIAX to security problems by directing a ticket to ConnectWise, a professional services automation (PSA) system that integrates with Trend Micro Remote Manager.

Why Trend Micro

Eight years ago, SIAX was a much smaller company—with just three technicians and a need for a better security product. “We reached out to several security providers, and Trend Micro was the only one that got back to us. We were impressed by the fact that Trend Micro showed an interest in our business. In a way, Trend Micro chose us,” said Smith.

Over the years, SIAX has enjoyed the quality of Trend Micro products and the company’s willingness to help when questions arise. “We build partnerships with our clients in the same way that Trend Micro does,” said Smith. “Many of our clients have heard of Trend Micro, but they may not realise that they provide more than anti-spyware and anti-malware. We explain to our clients how they can use Trend Micro products to improve various aspects of their business, and they are always happy to go with our advice.”

The SIAX alliance with Trend Micro has strengthened since joining the MSP program. The program makes it easy to obtain licensing, which allows the IT services provider to roll out the right product to a client at the right time. “In the past, if a client moved from an on-premises server to a hosted solution, we would probably have to wait until the end of the contract to move them from Trend Micro’s Worry-Free Business Security Advanced edition to the web-based Trend Micro Worry-Free Services edition. Now, we can change the package midstream,” said Smith.

“We chose Trend Micro because security is an important part of our business and we are a much better service provider for using them. The procedures for setting up Trend Micro solutions are simple and create consistency across our client base.”

Results

Through the Trend Micro MSP program, SIAX has become a stronger and more proactive partner to its clients, capable of delivering flexible licensing, prompt problem resolution and timely product features. “It used to be a difficult process to get licenses, but through the Trend Micro MSP program, we have licensing available at the click of a button,” said Smith. Likewise, the integration of Trend Micro Remote Manager with ConnectWise helps SIAX act quickly. “It’s better to be proactive and make a client aware of a problem than for a client to tell us they are experiencing a problem. It gives our clients confidence that we are on top of their issues,” he added.

As a beta tester for Trend Micro, SIAX has firsthand experience helping to develop the type of features that keep Trend Micro at the forefront of security trends. “New features always seem to filter through to our Worry-Free clients at the right time. In the latest version, it has integrated mobile devices and support features. In previous versions, it was data loss protection and behavioral monitoring,” said Smith.

What’s most important to SIAX is its ability to act quickly to put security in place for a client. “Deployment can be done in a matter of hours. Rather than going through the process of setting up trials and trying to order keys, we can get it done properly the first time. We have the ability to import and export configurations and a great platform that allows us to set up the client in the way we need to set them up,” said Smith.

The Trend Micro MSP program has significantly improved SIAX’s cash flow by having the ability to order licensing on a monthly basis, through the programs distributor NewLease. As the region’s leading expert in subscription software licensing, NewLease simplified SIAX’s licensing process with a month-to-month billing model. “NewLease has been a great partner and helped us every step of the way,” said Smith. “The difference between service levels and Trend Micro licensing with NewLease and with our previous distributors has been like night and day.”

“I can’t even imagine how much time Trend Micro products have saved our engineers. Over the years, it’s probably amounted to hundreds of hours.”

What's Next

SIAX continues to investigate the value of the latest Trend Micro features for its clients. They will be looking closely at the new gateway options and considering Trend Micro InterScan™ Web Security as a Service MSP package option for improving device security by preventing spyware downloads and blocking access to malicious web sites.

Since becoming a Trend Micro partner, SIAX has not seriously considered using another security provider. “I highly recommend Trend Micro as a partner,” said Smith. “When we need assistance, we get the support we need. We’ve used Worry-Free products successfully for eight years because they work!”

“My advice to another reseller: Investigate the Trend Micro MSP license options and spend time looking at the tools Trend Micro makes available to help manage their products. You won’t be sorry you did,” said Smith.

“We’ve used Worry-Free products successfully for eight years because they work!”